Thanks for Voting!

[jg]

thanks to you we will not be wasting money, on a jail-tax plan which research shows would not be effective!

[kuhnsmith]

I have been a long time opponent of the recent jail expansion proposal for a number of reasons, some of which you mentioned in your recent letter to the editor in the Source. In fact, it wasn't until I read your letter that I learned about your web site.

Perhaps I can find it somewhere on your web site, but I'm very curious about how/why you got involved in this issue. Some of why I'm asking is due to sheer curiosity (since I've met so few people with the insight and passion on this issue that you obviously have) and some is because I want to see the county now move ahead to use evidence based practices to deal with those who come into contact with the criminal justice system (that includes those who have a mental illness and/or addiction problem).

I'd be happy to share my background and why I, too, am passionate about this subject.

Gary

[jg]

I heard during the DA race, that 60% of current jail population, is pre-trial detention. So Flaherty is proposing to stop the practice of overcharging felonies and instead he will attempt to charge people with misdemeanors when possible.

So I think thats some progress. These two votes together I think bode well for the future of central oregon law enforcement. Blanton will be the first to tell you that all the pre-trial folks, have more rights and therefore we can't use evidence-based practices like the work center. I guess thats somewhat of an impediment but at the same time its something a new DA may be able to deal with.

I really do think its entirely possible that the jail size won't grow at all for a few years... because of the continuing terrible economic and population numbers in our area. Blanton finally trying to rent more beds at JeffCo, is something that apparently should have happened years ago.

I suppose I agree with you that unchecked corrections spending in the absence of research, is a recipie for a funding black hole. I come at it from more of social perspective, even though I usually phrased my arguments as financial ones. I think large jails and prisons are evidence of a less-functional society and we should be doing everything possible to keep people out of them, not increase the number of people in them.

You should look around the site and read some of the links, the research section is my favorite. Its a little tough because most of the DoJ think tanks have great info, but it applies to prisons and not local jails, which have the differing inmate populations.

Some of the most interesting info you might find on the federal level:

over half of inmates are illiterate

It is recommended to keep low-risk offenders out of the corrections system entirely, because even putting them near more serious criminals, increases future illegal behaviour among the low-risk group.

Anyways I am looking to publish an opinion piece in the bulletin soon, maybe you would like to help or know someone who would. They didn't publish my last one before the election so they owe me. But I read John Costa's (editor) reaction to the vote, and he was simply back to pushing Deer Ridge as the answer again, while obviously the situation is massively more complex than that. So I think we should strike while the iron is hot!